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“Summer Sky” 2.5 x 3.5 Pastel $26 © Sharon Lewis
I’ve been away visiting family for a while but I had a little break to work on this summer sky. Skies with beautiful clouds remain one of my favorite subjects to paint.
Happy Weekend!
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“Summer Parade” 5 x 7 Pastel $ 105 © Sharon Lewis
This is a painting I completed while onsite in Maine. It was August but it was sunny, windy, and cool – for me, an ideal summer day. I had a constant parade of clouds drifting by and so I had to quickly paint what was in front of me. For a relatively slow painter like me this was challenging but also exhilarating. I feel so lucky that I had the opportunity to be outside on a gorgeous, sunlit day getting to do something I love.
Happy Weekend!
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“Sailing Saturday” 5 x 7 Pastel $ 105 © Sharon Lewis
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This is another painting I did while in Maine recently. I was in my version of heaven, painting on the coast, in sunny, cool weather, with gorgeous clouds overhead and sailboats gliding by.
Happy Weekend!
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“Racing the Rain” 5 x 7 Pastel $ 105 © Sharon Lewis
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While in Maine recently, I was lucky to be treated to the sight of many clouds racing across the sky, with lots of sailboats trying to beat the rain clouds. I love painting skies outside, especially in cool, sunny weather but it was a challenge to capture these fast-moving clouds before they exited stage right.
Happy Weekend!
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“Clouds of Dance” 8.5” x 10.5” Pastel $160 © Sharon Lewis
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This is the last of my “clouds in the country” series of paintings though I wouldn’t be surprised if I come back to this subject from time to time. What I’m drawn to when I look at my reference photos for this painting, is that I can see across a greater expanse of sky and land. This is Georgia farmland and it’s been cleared of many of the taller, older trees. So, while I dearly love the tall trees forming a canopy in my backyard (except when we have tropical storms), I appreciate being able to see a greater swathe of sky with these lush, fertile, fields.
Happy Weekend!
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“Week’s End” 8” x 10” Pastel $160 © Sharon Lewis
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Given the past week we’ve had here in the metro-Atlanta area, with loss of power, fallen trees, and then a toxic plume of chlorine gas thanks to a fire at a chemical company, I’m all for dwelling on a peaceful scene, with calm but beautiful clouds.
Hope you all are doing well and Happy Weekend!
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“After the Storm” 7” x 9” Pastel $126 © Sharon Lewis
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I’ve been in love with the skies and meadows I’ve found in rural landscapes even if I prefer to always live within pizza delivery limits. However, there’s something so relaxing about looking at green meadows, sometimes with cattle grazing and those beautiful skies!
Happy Weekend!
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The first day of Autumn is hours away but with the temperatures anything but fall-like, I’m reminded of summer. That’s when I often see clouds like these rising up from behind the trees. I can’t wait for cooler temperatures but I will miss these beautiful clouds.
Happy Weekend!
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“Over the Hill” 4” x 6” Pastel $96 © Sharon Lewis
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This is another painting I did while at the beach last month. I’ve been painting a little with acrylics, a medium I haven’t used in a while and have been having so much fun as well as being a little frustrated. Each medium I’ve used has some wonderful aspects to it and some challenging aspects. I love how with so few tubes of acrylic paint, I can make a large variety of colors but it’s challenging to figure out which brush and what kind of brush stroke would best convey the image I want to create. However, I feel so fortunate to be able to do this kind of fun, challenging work!
Happy Weekend!
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“Sky Racers” 5” x 7” Pastel $105 © Sharon Lewis
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I have friends who are fond of clear, blue skies but not me. Give me a sunny, blue sky with some clouds and I’m much happier. Clouds are so interesting and although I know that people who study them closely have discerned patterns and even cloud categories, I find then endlessly variable in their shapes, sizes, and even the colors reflected within them. The clouds I saw this day at the beach, seemed to be in a race across the sky.
Happy Weekend!
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“Bridging the Divide” 12” x 18” Pastel $430 © Sharon Lewis
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I love how beautifully clouds can sweep across the sky out west. I especially love how these dramatic dark and light clouds met in the middle….much the way I wish members of different ideological groups would. I wish we would listen to each other’s concerns and hopes and see the possibility of meeting in the middle.
Happy Weekend!
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“Here We Come!” 5” x 7” Pastel $50 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I am really hoping to be on this beach or actually any beach, this spring. I find that although I love the mountains, I find the beach is always more relaxing. There’s something about the sounds, scents, and sights of my childhood that always allows me to forget about the busyness and stress of work completely.
Happy Weekend!
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“Dreaming of Summer on a Winter’s Day” 11” x 14” Pastel $175 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
It sometimes takes me almost as long to figure out what to paint as it does to actually paint a landscape. This weekend, when it was grey and dreary, I was drawn to paint this scene because of the light, the warmth, and all the people trying to enjoy the last rays of sunshine before sunset. I loved the contrast between the bands of bluish-purple shadows and the golden, sun-lit parts of the beach. It was also fun to paint the people in their various poses and locations; some swimming in the water, some former sunbathers now in shadow, and the various people in conversation or silent admiration of the view.
Happy Weekend!
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“Sailing Away Again” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I have a tendency to be drawn to certain images often depending on what’s going on in my life. When I’m feeling super busy, I’m often drawn to images of sailboats. Maybe this is a really obvious message that I’d like to sail away from the nonstop grading and frantic emails during final exams time?
No matter the reason, I’m drawn to this peaceful scene, where someone is lucky enough to be out on the water on a gorgeous day with a beautiful blue sky and fluffy, colorful clouds. Ahhhhh.
Happy Weekend!
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“One Big Leap” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
Remember when you'd lie on your back looking up at the sky, and name all the things you saw in the clouds? I still see things, or people, or animals in clouds. After all, they serve as giant Rorschach tests in the sky. What do you see in these clouds stretched across the evening sky? I see figures leaping up, perhaps chasing the sun.
Happy Weekend!
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“Taking in the View” 5” x 7” Pastel $50 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
At this busy time of the semester for students, staff, and faculty, I’ve been trying to stop occasionally to enjoy the view. It’s hard to remember to pause our busy lives and just appreciate the sunshine or the colors of the leaves, or as these individuals did, take in the view of the beautiful ocean.
Hoping you can pause and take in the view and have a Happy Weekend!
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“Last One In Is a Rotten Egg!” 4” x 6” Pastel $40 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I still haven’t let go of summer yet….nor wishing the days were longer and sunnier, the water warmer, and it was time to go back to the beach.
Happy Weekend!
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“Sundrenched” 5” x 7” Pastel $50 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
In spite of the fact that I really love fall, I’ve been having a hard time letting go of summer. I know the days are getting shorter and the freezing temperatures in the morning are certainly getting my attention. The striking colors I see in the trees as I drive into work are also tempting me to start painting autumn scenes now. I will eventually move to painting fall (maybe) but in the meantime, I want to hold onto my memories of sundrenched marshes and blue skies filled with beautiful, multi-colored clouds.
Happy Weekend!
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“All to Ourselves” 5” x 7” Pastel $50 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
One of my favorite times of day is around the time the sun is going down. If I’m lucky enough to be at the beach, it’s also the time when many people have packed up their things and left the beach. It finally gets quiet enough so that the only things you hear are the sounds of waves breaking softly on the beach and you can stand patiently watching as the light and color slowly fade from the evening sky.
Happy Weekend!
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“Summer’s End” 5” x 7” Pastel $50 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I’ve wanted to paint this for some time now but my reference photos were not very good and so it required enough time and/or inspiration for me to figure out how to convey what I felt when I looked at this scene. The scene is sometime in September when people often take their last trip to the beach because summer is coming to an end. It seemed like the beach was making an extra effort to make sure that this goodbye was a sweet one….the kind of day that sticks in your memory and makes you want to plan another trip for the spring. The water that day was a sparkling blue and the sky had put on my favorite outfit: cornflower blue with contrasting gorgeous, billowy white clouds. Feel that wonderful sense of relaxation as you gaze out over the water, digging your toes into the sand, and the sea breeze caresses your face. Ahhhhh.
Happy Weekend!
